Dear Reader,
Yesterday
members of NATO launched a military offensive against the Serbian army in an
attempt to force President Slobodan Milosovic to sign the Rambouillet peace
agreement. Yet we know that peace cannot forced through the use of military
violence. This military attack is intended to stop the severe human rights
offenses still occurring in a brutal war against civilians in Kosovo, even
though the NATO offensive was not mandated by the United Nations and thus is
itself a violation of international human rights. We know that God does not
view war as a legitimate way in which to resolve violent conflicts.
Legitimizing military intervention as
“having
no other choice
”
shows that the efforts at obtaining a non-military resolution of the tragedy in
Kosovo were too few and came too late. We all must assume responsibility for
this.
However,
it is important to recognize the efforts, particularly from the churches, at
avoiding further fighting and ending the violence. In a joint declaration on
March 18 in Vienna, representatives from the Catholic, Islamic and Orthodox
communities in Kosovo issued a call for continued dialogue and negotiation
instead of a military solution:
“The
war in Kosovo is not a war of religions. We know too well our troubled and
tragic history, but the future is within our power to influence and direct. All
ethnic and religious communities in Kosovo must be allowed to live, worship and
work in the knowledge that their basic human and religious rights will not be
violated and their houses of worship and cultural and linguistic heritage will
be protected.
”
In
a declaration on March 23, the Conference of European Churches (CEC) referred
to the efforts of Serbian Orthodox Church leaders in Kosovo who have been
“calling
the political leaders of Serbia to take the way of dialogue, democratization
and the observance of human rights for people of all ethnic communities and
religious loyalties
”.
We
must also not forget the presence of international humanitarian and peace
organizations and the many volunteers from Church & Peace member
organizations, Pax Christi, IFOR and other groups who have been working for
many years in all parts of the former Yugoslavia for reconciliation and the
peaceful coexistence of all ethnic and religious communities. Many of these
organizations were forced to evacuate their workers due to the expected NATO
offensive. Some - for example
“Bread
of Life
”
in Belgrade - are attempting to continue their humanitarian assistance in
Kosovo. The withdrawal of humanitarian workers will only worsen the already
desperate situation of those in Kosovo and the innumerable refugees, leaving
them at the mercy of armed combatants.
The
question remains what we can do about the NATO military offensive and the
situation in Kosovo. A newsletter from Bread of Life on March 10 indicates the
actions Christians are taking in Belgrade:
“In
response to the crisis in Kosovo the Trinity Pentecostal Churches in Belgrade
are inviting Christians to pray and fast with them each Tuesday. Protestant
churches are organizing around-the-clock prayer vigils. Christians here pray
that the striving for political power will be replaced by a passion for peace,
justice and preservation of human life, God
’s
wonderful creation.
”
Let
us pray for all people endangered by the present situation, for those in
positions of power and those who are suffering. Let us also begin now to work
at all levels to develop and strengthen civilian peacemaking teams so that we
have an effective non-military alternative to implement in crisis situations in
the future.
Christian
Hohmann
25
March 1999